


Tales of Lethbridge-Stewart: One decision to change it all

by Pearlislove



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Kate Stewart Appreciation Week, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 16:56:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13551636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlislove/pseuds/Pearlislove
Summary: Everyone knows, that UNIT was founded after the second attempted invasion by the great Intellegence by a man named Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.What most people don't know, is why he made the decision.





	Tales of Lethbridge-Stewart: One decision to change it all

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fiveroundsrapid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveroundsrapid/gifts).



> Written for fiiveroundsrapid, it was MENT to be a part of KSAW week back in November, but unfortunatly it didn't end up that way. Therefor I am adding it on now instead.

Alistair sits by his daughter's bed, quiet and deep in thought. It was late at night, maybe midnight, or there about, but it doesn’t concern Alistair and his train of thoughts continue undisturbed. Fiona's sleeping in her bed, too, and he knows she probably won't miss him.   
  
He's thinking of the Yetis. Of the giant monster he'd encountered in the London underground, only too close to killing everyone in London with their evil scheme. To be fair, Alistair could not claim he understood all that had happened, or could have happened, but he knew what the final outcome had been. How it's impacted the future.   
  
Aliens existed. Not only that, but they were hostile and they attacked the earth, meaning that something was most definitely due to be done about it. His superiors had agreed when he'd written this assessment into his preliminary report, and now wheels were in motion. They knew just what they wanted him to do, but Alistair hesitated. He didn't know if it was what he should do.   
  
Agreeing to help found UNIT would be an boost to his career, and he'd been promised he'd be promoted to Brigadier before too long, but it still did not give him a clue as to whether it was a good idea.   
  
Sighing, Alistair turned his head to the right, giving focus to the other occupant of the room in which he'd chosen to settle down while thinking.   
  
Next to him, in the pink painted children's bed, a three year old with perfect golden blonde hair was sleeping. Caught up in her dream, she smiled innocently as her subconscious provided her with pleasant dreams to make the night hours go away faster than she’d like.   
  
Carefully, Alistair combed his fingers through his daughter's hair, moving his attention to the child instead.   
  
How would it affect her, if he accepted the new job offer? He'd be working more, and she'd see him less.  Fiona would hate that, for sure. She was angry enough about his high risk job as it was...    
  
But, he thought, It could be worth it. It was something that needed to be done, and after the meeting with Yetis and and having seen what The Doctor had done, he'd be able to. He could protect his family and shield them from the dangers he only just learned existed.   
  
He could be The Doctor, in his own  simplistic ways.   
  
Once more, he looks down upon his daughter. She is so small, only three years old and barely more than a baby. She’s barely had time to exist yet and still had done such lasting impression. The moment he saw her, he'd promised he'd always do whatever was necessary to protect her. It didn't matter what the price would be, as long as he could keep the child he helped create safe.   
  
One of the many, many reasons Alistair had never wanted children, and somehow still didn’t, was the responsibility. In his world, children had always been more of a paratis, a relinquish to be made when he married Fiona. It was such a monumental responsibility, resting as heavily on his shoulders as every single day out in the field with the other soldiers, and he wasn't sure he could ever be good enough.   
  


Yet, he loved Kate with every broken fragment of his worn out heart. She was his girl, and whether he had wanted children or not, she’d always means something to him. 

  
Maybe, he thought, that was why he oughta help with UNIT. To build a defense against aliens and invasions and everything else threatening the Earth. Maybe, it could be his way of being a good enough father despite all.   
  
Alistair sigh, letting himself stroke Kate’s soft cheek one last time before he left. He was going to go sleep for a few hours, and when he woke up, he'd accept the offer to help kick start UNIT. He'd pick up where The Doctor left off and do his very best to protect his planet, country, and most of all, his family.   
  


Fiona and Kate, wife and daughter, all the motivation he’d ever need.   
  
Raising from the chair, Alistair cringed as it screeched, its legs scraping against the floorboards and making an absolutely horrid sound as it went. Someone was sure to wake up from it...   
  
Still, pretending as though nothing had happened, Alistair began to move towards the door. He moved soundlessly, stopping only as he heard a voice speaking behind him.   
  
"Daddy? Tha yu?" The voice was small and frail, childish in the way only a small child's voice could be. Sighing softly, Alistair turned around, smiling.   
  
"Yes it’s me sweetie. Did you want anything?" He smiled, watching the sleepy three year old clumsily trying to sit up, her favorite stuffed tiger falling to the floor as she moved around among the blankets.   
  
In a heartbeat, Alistair was by the side of her bed, picking up the stuffed tiger and placing it back into the child's tiny fists. Kate’s hands close around it as she snuggles it close, whispering something he can barely. 

 

“Bad tiger, yu can no leave bed.” She whispered, berating the toy for falling out of the bed with all seriousness a sleep-deprived three year old could procure. Alistair smiled at the sweet scene, and then turned to leave again. “Daddy, whe yu goin? Stay.” He hears her plea just as he’s reaching for the door, and it feels as though his heart stops. He can’t breath and tears are burning in his eyes as he turn back to his daughter, seeing her outstretched arms reaching for him.

 

Seeing as she got his attention, the girl instead patted the bed next to her with her fist. “Sleep, daddy! Sleep here!” The girl demanded, and Alistair soon gave in.

 

Walking back through the room, he was soon lying down on the tiny bed with Kate.Seeing as the furniture was way too small for the both of them, his legs hung over the edge and Kate nestled comfortably on his stomach as he pulled the comforter over her, ignoring how little of him it covered. She snored and snorted in her sleep, hugging her toy close as she wiggled around in an attempt to get more comfortable on top of her dad.

  
Alistair smiled a little wider, carefully wrapping one arm around his daughter to keep her in place, the other arm grabbing onto the side if the bed to ensure he wouldn’t fall off.

 

“Love you my little tiger” He said, slowly closing his eyes as well. It had been a long, rough day, and it had given him a lot to think about. In the Morning, he’d make a very, very important decision, but for now he was content to just sleep the night away with his daughter, reminding himself why he made the decisions he did.

 

Closing his eyes and falling asleep, neither the man or the girl resting on his stomach knew what was coming for them in the years ahead. They didn’t know how they would be standing in front of the UNIT gates so many years later, both of them grown and having walked a long way to get to where they were. One would be a hero, and one would be starting on her destiny, but both of them would know that they never thought they'd come so far.

 

When Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was three years old, her father took a decision. He was still a young soldier himself and didn’t know where it’d lead, but wasn’t it the way it always was?

 

It’s the decision that you don’t think will matter which consumes your world.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment as well as kudos! They make my day!


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